How Much Does HITRUST Certification Cost in 2024?

One common question small and mid-sized businesses often ask when thinking about HITRUST certification is, “How much does it cost?” It’s a valid concern, especially with tight budgets and the critical importance of information security. HITRUST certification cost was too expensive for many small businesses. 

However, things are changing. New, more cost-effective options are available for small and medium-sized companies, allowing them to enhance their transparency, integrity, and reliability.

This article explores the possibilities of your HITRUST compliance for your organization and strengthening your security program. We’ll also talk about the HITRUST CSF certification cost and what you can do to become compliant without breaking the bank.

Let’s dive in…

Overview of HITRUST Certification

Established in 2007, HITRUST grants certifications to businesses after independent assessments for compliance with its Common Security Framework (CSF). Certification is achieved when all required controls are fully implemented in the specified environment. 

The CSF, applicable to organizations handling sensitive data as part of regulatory requirements, integrates widely accepted standards like ISO, NIST, PCI, HIPAA, and COBIT into its baseline security requirements.

HITRUST i1 

Introduced in 2022, i1 is a streamlined version of r2 certification featuring a wide range of controls. Unlike r2, i1 doesn’t require scoping as it follows a non-risk-based approach. i1 certification is valid for one year, and the entire process usually takes about 6-9 months.

HITRUST r2 

With a risk-based approach, r2 requires scoping. Certification validity is two years; the implementation process usually spans 12-15 months.

The time it takes here is calculated based on doing every process manually, from gap analysis to risk assessment. This is where you need the help of a compliance automation platform like Sprinto.

Leave the stress and burnout behind when it comes to understanding regulatory standards. Sprinto has got you covered with pre-approved, auditor-grade compliance programs and security practices that you can launch with just a few clicks.

And when it comes to HITRUST assessment, Sprinto has you covered. Our audit experts collaborate with you from Day 1, guiding you through the process to ensure the right controls and practices are implemented for your company.

How Much Does HITRUST Certification Cost?

The total cost of HITRUST CSF certification falls between $70,000 and $160,000. This covers the validated assessment by an external assessor, the certification cost charged by HITRUST, and the MyCSF cost.

With that being said, here is a breakdown of the assessment charges based on the number of controls:

Hitrust variation	No. of controls	Implementation + Assessment timelines	Assessment Charges
e1 (basic)	44	5-6 months	USD $10k
i1 (moderate)	182	5-6 months	USD $25.2k
r2 (high)	250-1800 (depends on scoping exercise)	6-9 months	Upto 250 controls – USD $25k From 251st control onwards – 50$ per control

Also note that you need budget for:

• Access to HITRUST MyCSF® portal and resources (HITRUST mycsf cost is approximately $15,000 per year)
• Readiness assessment execution and scoring
• Gap analysis execution
• Validated assessment execution and scoring

Indirect costs include:

• Employee time for engagement
• Recording and updating security data
• Initial configuration
• Development of corrective action plans
• Remediation efforts
• Assistance in identifying and submitting documentation
• Additional services by HITRUST Authorized External Assessor

We know that the certification cost can seem expensive for service providers, and often organizations opt for getting themselves self-assessed to minimize costs that come with a trade-off – with a self-assessment, they don’t attain the same level of security assurance compared to ones that hire a third-party assessor. 

While self-assessments offer affordability, external assessors bring an added layer of expertise and objectivity to ensure a more robust evaluation of your security measures.

Also, check: A Quick Guide to HITRUST Certification

5 Factors Affecting HITRUST Certification Cost

HiTrust CSF cost certification is absolutely worth it. However, several external and internal factors determine how much you have to spend.

Below are the 5 factors you need to look out for when pursuing the certification report:

• Your company size
• HiTrust preparation
• Purchase of MyCSF tool
• Essentials assessment
• Size of your infrastructure

1. Your company size

Your company’s size matters when it comes to HITRUST costs. Generally, larger organizations tend to incur higher expenses. 

Larger companies usually have more extensive infrastructure and processes to certify. With a bigger size, more controls apply to the organization.

For instance, if your company falls within the 250-1800 employee range (subject to scoping exercise), the cost could go up to $25k, as indicated in the table above.

2. HiTrust preparation

Preparing for HITRUST Certification involves several steps and costs. It’s advisable to start with a self-assessment or readiness assessment before submitting a validated assessment for certification. 

A self-assessment against CSF is done internally by your team, while a readiness assessment is usually conducted by an independent third party, which is again a cost. Both help you understand CSF requirements and identify control gaps to address before a validated assessment. 

Be cautious about potential pitfalls in self-assessment costs, including gap analysis.

To control costs, consider narrowing the scope of the HITRUST framework, i.e., by isolating the certifiable environment. This strategic approach can help minimize the expenses associated with obtaining certification.

3. Purchasing the MyCSF tool

To access the MyCSF tool, you can purchase a subscription, costing around $15,000 per year. This tool, available through HITRUST, provides a SaaS solution for conducting risk assessments and managing corrective action plans. 

Using the MyCSF tool can lead to resource savings, increased efficiency, better reporting and dashboards, streamlined assessment modeling, and the ability to share assessment information easily. The tool offers different subscription levels to cater to varying organizational needs.

4. Conducting essentials assessment

HITRUST Alliance introduced the HITRUST e1 Essentials assessment. This assessment is there to give clear assurances about how well your company handles basic cybersecurity practices and faces cyber threats.

Usually, you can do this in 2 ways. It can be either through self-assessment or validation by an external auditor.

It assesses information security controls across 44 areas, offering summary and details into the overall security posture of your company.

These assessments will definitely bring you direct and indirect HITRUST costs.

5. Size of your infrastructure

If your environment is small to start with, the HITRUST assessment will be more straightforward and cost-effective. Also, if you can separate the certifiable environment from a larger one, you may reduce costs.

How long does it take to get HITRUST certification?

Getting HiTrust Certification depends on the level of variation of HiTrust you choose and the assessment period. The e1 (basic) variation may take 5 to 6 months to complete, while r2 (high) may take 6 to 9 months to achieve.

Other factors that affect the duration of getting HiTrust Certification is:

• The existing level of maturity in your information security program
• The size and complexity of the systems that need certification impact how long the process takes
• The resources at your disposal for implementing necessary HITRUST controls affect the certifica